Labour outlines long-term funding demands

Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth has outlined the Labour Party’s five key asks for the government’s long-term funding plan, as part of Confed 2018.

Speaking at the annual NHS Confederation conference, the video message discussed the current state of the NHS, which Ashworth deemed to be failing to meet constitutional standards.

As part of the message, Ashworth set out the five tests that, if delivered, would satisfy the Labour party. This covered: funding, asking if the government is prepared to take fair decisions on taxation, based on Labour’s promise of fair increases in tax to gain £9 billion of extra funding; capital investment, asking whether the government increase this, as Labour promises to do in order to support the take-up and spread of innovation and the need for more updated medical equipment; the NHS workforce, asking if the government has a credible plan to ensure the necessary staff for the future; ending fragmentation and reducing competition and waste; and tackling health inequalities, citing a need to focus on prevention, and on children’s health and well-being.